Jesus Provided for Our Justification

Jesus and His twelve disciples shared the Passover meal together in the upper room. Matthew sets up the story: "Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, 'Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?' And He said, 'Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, "The Teacher says, 'My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.'"' So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover. When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve" (Matt. 26:17-20).

As Jesus and His disciples ate the Passover meal, Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper: "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body.' Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.' And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives" (vv. 26-30).

We still celebrate the Lord's Supper today as a memorial, or a ceremony, that reminds us of what Jesus did for us on the cross. There His body was broken for us, His blood was shed for us, for our forgiveness and to provide salvation for us. Our repentance, along with our faith in Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection the third day, results in our justification.

Through Jesus' death and resurrection God provided for our justification. And that is a key thought here. Justification is not something we earn on our own merit. It is a gift that God provided for us. The Greek noun translated "justification" refers to "the act of pronouncing righteous." It occurs twice in Romans and nowhere else in the New Testament. Its meaning is determined by the verb "to justify" which carries the idea of a person established "as just by acquittal from guilt" (W.E. Vine, M.A., Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Unabridged Edition, [MacDonald Publishing Company: McLean, Virginia, no copyright], 624). So justification has to do with a person being declared righteous by God.

Because of one's belief and faith in Christ, God declares the sinner to be righteous because he has come into a righteous relationship with God. Justification has nothing to do with any change in the sinner. It has everything to do with God's declaration about the sinner. Justification does not make a sinner holy; it declares that he is not guilty before God and is then treated as holy.

So, if you have trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, even though you are still growing in Christ, slowly becoming more like Him each day (sanctification), you are already considered or reckoned by God to be holy, as Jesus is holy (justification). What a wonderful God we have. Amen.

Encouraging Faith

I have often heard well-intentioned Christians say, "God hates the sin, but loves the sinner." But as I read Scripture, I am not convinced as to just how accurate that statement is. Certainly, God loves us. That is why Christ came to earth to die on the cross for our forgiveness. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Or again, "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10).

In the original Greek, "propitiation" has to do with atonement. It means that God's wrath is satisfied in Christ's sacrifice on the cross. His anger is appeased and His mercy is bestowed upon all who believe. God having "sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10) is the ultimate expression of God's love toward man. (W.E. Vine, M.A., Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Unabridged Edition, [MacDonald Publishing Company: McLean, Virginia, no copyright], 906-07)

As to God loving the sinner, consider the following Scriptures: "God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day" (Ps. 7:11). "The LORD tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates" (Ps. 11:5). "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36). "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience" (Eph. 5:6). "But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God" (Rom. 2:5). "But to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath" (Rom. 2:8).

The sin is nothing apart from the sinner. The unrepentant sinner aligns himself against God. This offends God and makes the sinner the direct object of His wrath. Nahum points out, "God is jealous, and the LORD avenges; the LORD avenges and is furious. The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies" (Nah. 1:2).

The key to experiencing God's love and mercy, rather than His wrath, is repentance and faith. That is why the Lord seeks repentance from sinners. That is also why the Lord encourages faith for the sinner. Repentance and faith turns away God's wrath and ushers in love and mercy and forgiveness for the penitent believer.

Therefore, repent! Confess your sin before the Lord and receive His forgiveness. Turn to God in faith. Trust Jesus. Amen.